One Step Forward
by EchoOfTheLonelyWolf
Summary: This is not a fanfiction of any sort, it's just a custom book I am writing and planning to make an anime off of it. Enjoy though!
1. Prologue

Once upon a time, there was a young girl. She was beautiful. She had long black hair, and eyes as red as a fire in the night. At this time, she was young though, only 7, but her beauty was still that of a princess. She always sang toward the moon, and to the wolves, and as much as she sang to them, they sang back. Along with her beauty, she was smart for her age. She never really thought like most children her age did. Her name was Kushimo. Kushimo Hinotori. Well, atleast she thought it was, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. She was always happy, and had the sweetest grin on her face. Well, atleast until the masacre of her family, and others in her village. It all started here.


	2. The girl who didn't know

Kushimo was on her daily rounds to buy fruit for her mother. On her way around, she passed a few of her neighbors. She greeted them and continued on. Just as her mother had asked she bought fruit with the gold coins she was given. She spent the rest of her money for some candy in a nearby shop.  
>She ran home to find her mother waiting in the doorway for her to return. She looked nothing like her mother, for she had dirty blonde hair, and green eyes. The total oposite of her. Kushimo took more after her father, whoms hair was black, and had brown eyes. Her mothers name is Hachimitsu, And Ishuoka was that of her fathers.<br>"Kushimo dear!" Her mother shouted. "Your father needs your help carryig urns of water from the river, could you please help him?" "Sure!" Was Kushimo's responce.  
>Kushimo ran down ran down to the river. She found her father standing next to two full urns of water. "Mommy said you need help carrying these, so I came to help daddy!" I... I mean Kushimo said. "Oh really? Thats very nice sweetheart, but are you sure you can lift one?" He said, slightly chuckling to himself. "Of course I can daddy! Im strong!" Was Kushimo's responce. As she tried to lift it up, it suddenly became light." Need help with that?" Said a sweet voice she would recognize anywhere. "Munarashi!" Said Kushimo with delight. Munarashi was her brother, whom she loved more than herself. "I'll carry that for you, princess." Said her brother. She blushed. "Brother! You know Im not a princess! Why call me that?" Said Kushimo. Her brother put down the urn. "But you are!" said Munarashi as he picked her up. "And I am your noble steed." Continued her brother as he started to give her a piggy-back ride home. She was giggling beyond belief. Back in the distance she heard her father shout "I've got things handled here!" With a grin of his face.<br>Kushimo played with her brother for a while, then she decided to go look for her sister, Tenshi. She asked her mother where she could find her, but aparently she was out of town for her journlist job. She was sad for a minute, but decided to go for a walk in the woods, which was a decision she regreted for a long time.  
>She went to the peek of the tallest hill in the woods, not to far from her village. As she sat on the stop of the hill, she saw an orange glow settling on her village. The beautiful light of a sunset. Well although it looked like it, she soon heard the screams of dying people. Her village was being masacred.<br>She ran down the hill, tripped and twisted her ankle. Almost definantly a sprain, but the pain was nothing, she just got up and kept running. It seemed as though the fire didnt reach her house from where she was, and she was correct. But what she didnt know is that the people that where starting the fire had.  
>She saw her house in the distance. As she started running toward it, she saw her mothers face in the window, mouthing three words over and over. Those three words were "Goodbye, Im sorry." The house was blown to bits.<br>She was unconcious for a moment, only to wake up with a sword to her neck. "So sister, this is were you die, but first you probably want to know why. Is that correct?" Said her sister, Tenshi. This was not the sister she knew and loved. Tenshi would never do this. But she is. Kushimo swallowed, and while shaking, she slowly nodded her head. "Thats what I thought. I shouldnt have even asked. Have you always wondered why your eyes are red? And why you mother always made you wear blue eye contacts when you're in town? Its because you are a demon. 4/5s to be exaict. Down your fathers bloodline, a demon was brought into the family. Your great great grandmother fell in love with a demon, and bared his child. Although _he_ was kind, that doesnt mean _you_ will be. The blood of a demon grants great power. The bloodline skiped a few generations. Until you and I were born. Although I was born long before you, 1/5 of that blood was infused with my own, and since I want that power for _myself_, I cant have _you_ living and getting in my way." She said. Kushimo had tears flooding down her cheek. _Why her _she thought. She looked her sister in the eye, only to see sadness. That was the last thing she saw before Tenshi slashed the blade across her chest. She fell into a deep blackness, only to be woken up by the familiar voice of her best friend Rozu. They told her her entire family was dead. The remaining villagers knew her secret. Few hated her for it, because they knew it wasnt her fault. The one thing her sister forgot to mention was that her real name was Jigokushimo, not kushimo. Her name was translated to Hellfrost, and illigal word, so they continued calling her Kushimo.  
>She wanted to become stronger, so she could face her sister, so she began trying to teach herself how to use the sword her father was suppose to pass down to her. It was the only thing not destroyed in the explosion, but she gave up.<br>If you hadnt noticed, I once called Kushimo "I". For this is a story about myself, Jigokushimo Hinotori.

(7 years later)

"_Step by step I walk in the snow. Drip by drip my blood is aflow. Day by day memories cut like a knife. Night by night my demon comes back to life. I am lost in a world full of monsters. And it feels like I've got another soul within myself full of darkness..." _Itoward to morning sky. It was a lullaby that my mother sang to me seven years ago. As strange as the song is, it was oddly calming. It was almost like my mother was, once again, by my side. For my mother, and the rest of my family were masacred seven years earlier.  
>Although I gave up using a sword, I began once again. I wasnt to bad actually, and the elder if my village, Kokechi, is even going to send me off to a famous sword user to teach me!<br>"Kushimo, dear, its time to go." Said kokechi. She was so far into day dreaming about her journy, she forgot it was about to begin.  
>She put her long black hair in A braid, put on her teal short-shirt, and put on a pair of camo shorts. She was 14 now, and a girl, but she still wasnt to picky about how she will look.<br>She grabbed her backpack, sword, and map, and ran off to me Kokechi at the village gate. As she found her there, she asked "Kokechi, are you sure this is the righr choice. I mean f-for me to become a hero?". "Come come child, when the time comes you shall know your destiny." Said Kokechi.  
>Just before I left, Rozu came. "Kushimo, I cant beleive you're really going, please be carful!" She said. "Dont worry, I have quite a few things to deal with, meaning, no way am I going to die!" I said with pride.<br>I hugged her than departed for the next village so I could become a sword fighter, for I am Jigokushimo Hinotori, the girl who didnt know she was a demon, but what she did know, is that her journy only just began.


	3. The girl who found

When I left, it was about noon. In was the beginning of spring, right after a harsh winter, so it was still only about 50 degrees farhenheit, but I like the cold, so it didn't really bother me, even though my outfit was a short-shirt, and a pair of camoflage shorts.  
>I started humming to myself, the same tune as earlier. All of the sudden, a nearby bush started rustling. <em>If I stay silent, I might be able to figure out what that was, I mean, I've always been able to sense the presence of other beings, and usually identify who they are. <em>I closed my eyes. I focased on the area around me. _ Let's see... Hmm... A rabbit, a chipmunk... And... Bingo! " _Who are you?" I said. As I expected, a man stood up. "I am Kasendatsu Sutauoka." The man said. _Interesting, so this is the sword master that Kokechi sent me to train with. I expected an old guy, but this guy... This guy is in his twenties atleast! He also looks a lot different than I expected too. He has long dirty blond hair in a ponytail on the back of his head, green eyes, and he's kinda good looking too. He was wear long-shorts, a black tanktop, and a red bandanna on his forhead. _I cleared my voice. "So, your the man that Kokechi sent me to train under. I thought I was suppose to meet you at the gate of your village, not at the mid-way point.""YOU'RE THE KID IM TRAINING? I THOUGHT IT WAS A BOY?!" He said. _ Oh great... Well... This should be interesting. _I rolled my eyes. "Kokechi didn't say I was a girl. Well, do you have a problem with that, sensei?" I said while holding back a small amount of laughter. "No not at all, it's just that well... You are training with someone else... A boy your age, named Furrashumizu, or, Furra. It's just that, now that I know your a girl, I've realized that for a while, training is gonna be hell." He said. _Crap, I don't get along with other people as it is, having to work with someone for the next 2 years is not gonna be easy..." _Well, we should probably get going, the sooner training starts, the sooner I can get revenge."I said, half to myself, half to sensei. He looked at me in a strange, disapproving way, but we began walking toward the village.  
>"Oh, your long hair is going to get in the way, you should cut it." Said Kasen sensei. I know what he means, but my hair is the only thing that I have that was still there when my parents died. "Oh, I understand." I said gloomily. I took a pocket knife out of my bag, and then I sliced my hair near the top. Now it was barely down to my shoulders.<br>"Alright, we're here!" Sensei said. I looked around. _Man, this place is nice. It's so big! Well, bigger than my house atleast. _I kept looking and noticed a boy around my age. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, and some sweatpants too. His hair was short and black, and his eyes where a shade of sunset orange. _Hmm, so this is the guy I'm gonna be working with, and just by the look he's giving me, I already don't like him. _I sighed, and then swallowed my pride." So, you're Furra? Nice to meet you." _ Not really... _He rolled his eyes. "And who the hell are you?" He said. "Well I know I'm gonna be a bitch if you keep that attitude with me. _Anyway, _I'm Kushimo, the girl your gonna be training with for the next two years." I said. "You've gotta be kidding me sensei! My opponet, it's... It's a girl!" He said. _Opponet? What does he mean? _I gave sensei a dirty look. "What did you forget to tell me?!" I said. "Well…. Before we start any training, you guys have to go through 3 challenges. You know, to prove your worthy and all." said Kasen sensei. I rolled my eyes. "The whole point of this training is to _make_ us worthy to wield a sword, not some stupid 'are you worthy?' cliché." I said. Furra looked at me, he was a little surprised. _Wow, maybe my little speech there made him realize Im not just some stupid-ass girl. _"Ok, let me rephrase that, I want you to go through these challenges to see if you're _ready_ for my training." Kasen sensei said. The mood suddenly got serious. _Okay, I see his point, but come on! _"Alright, then let's just get them over with." Furra said before I could even speak. _Yeah, I understand. It is a better idea than arguing at least. I mean, the faster we get through these challenges, the faster we can start training._  
>"Alright, the first challenge is to lift that stone using shinteki, or, psychic ability. Im not giving you any clues on how to use it, because I know you two have heard the name before, and I can sense a strong presence of that ability within the both of you. You must work together for this challenge, understand? "Said Kasen sensei. <em>He's right, I have heard that somewhere. But where…. <em>"Alright I'll leave you to it. You may take as much time as you need. _Geez, I've gotta admit, Im a bit nervous, I mean, what if not ready? Well, I'll just have to find out how _"Alright, do you have an idea how to use shinteki?" I asked Furra. "Im not really sure, how 'bout you?" he asked. "Well, if know anything about physic ability, is that you have to have complete concentration. We have to focus on the center of the stone, so let's use something to mark the center of the stone." I said. I was actually kinda surprised at my own idea. "Alright, that makes enough sense, I mean; it falls into the category of PKST, so that might work. Wait, you know what that means, right?" asked Furra. "Of course I do. There is PKLT, PKMT, and of course, PKST. PKLT is the power to effect living objects, PKMT is the power to effect moving objects, and PKST is the power to effect static, or, non-moving objects." I said. Furra seemed a bit surprised. "Alright, well let's hurry up. Geez, I was just asking if you knew, not could you explain why the world exists "said Furra. _I think he's mad because I said something smart._  
>I found some berries in the woods and made a red paint out of them. I marked the center of the stone. I sat down next to Furra, who was waiting patiently. "Alright, just focus on the center of the stone where the mark is. Picture in your head the stone rising up, literally will it to rise of the ground." I said. Furra nodded. We began concentrating. <em>I can feel sensei watching, that either means we're doing good, or we're screwing something up really bad. Usually screw up, but I think for once Im doing something right.<em>  
><em> I think we've been concentrating for over an hour, and still nothing, although, I am starting to feel a pressure, that's good. <em>"Hey, Kushimo, you feel the pressure too, right?" asked Furra silently. "Yes, I think we're on the right track, try willing it a bit harder, we're close, I know it." I responded silently. "right." Furra said.  
>At this point, sweat is now beading on my forehead. I began imagining the stone lifting, making myself believing it is. The pressure began to get stronger, so obviously we're doing something. I began willing it harder and harder, until eventually, the feeling of pressure became light headedness. I opened my eyes; the stone had lifted off the ground and is now hovering about 5 feet off of it. Furra had opened his eyes as well. "Very good you two, I expected no less. Furra, I would like you to break your concentration off the stone, Im curios to see if Kushimo is able to hold it on her own." Said sensei. <em>Oh great. Im already light headed, no need to make it worse, but then again, I might be able to do it. <em>Furra did as sensei said. _Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, sensei and Furra know my secret, I had told them earlier._ I regained my concentration. The stone was still hovering above the ground. _I know, this counts as showing off, but my pride made me do it, I swear. _I willed the stone higher, and then once again, held it in place. "Her concentration and ability are flawless" I heard one of them say, probably sensei. I could feel sweat dripping down my cheek, my light headedness getting worse. It was getting even harder to hold it up, only another minute before I drop it.  
>Like I said, after about a minute, it fell to the ground, and I sit there catching my breath. "Kushimo, you and Furra with sleep in the cabin over there." Sensei said, pointing to a large wood cabin." It only has one bedroom, but with two beds on opposite sides of the room. It has two fully functional bathrooms, and a kitchen with food." Continued sensei. I was really out of it because I didn't realize sensei took my hand and helped me to my feet. "okay." Said me and Furra.<br>We began to walk toward the cabin, and sensei was already in his house. I suddenly felt the sensation of falling. I blacked out. Anyway, Im pretty sure Furra expected that, because he caught me. He carried me to the cabin, and the laid me down on one of the beds. I fell into a deep sleep.  
><em>"Why am I in a black room?" I asked. Everything was moving around me, shifting dark colors, and then, my mom appeared in the distance. "MOM!" I yelled. I started running towards her, but she just kept getting farther away as I ran towards her, but never far enough that I couldn't see her smile. The one smile that forgives. The one that says it's okay. But it wasn't. "Mom, no!" I screamed in horror as I watched a sword pierce her chest. She fell to the ground and dissolved into thin air. I could feel the tears falling down my face. I was absolutely livid because I already knew who would be at the other end of that sword. "Tenshi." I said calmly, but you could almost feel the hatred in my words. I was starting to remember what had happened seven years ago. "So sister, I see that you have finally come out of your sweet little cover-up and have decided to show your true colors. I mean, come on, I can see the bloodlust in your eyes. You want to kill me, don't you?" said Tenshi with a sick grin. I got angrier, but I kept my cool. "I see you haven't changed sister. And yeah, so what, I still have a heart and a soul like any other human, and that is my reason for my hatred, but it seems you have lost all sense of humanity, because even the most cold-blooded killers experience a moment of hesitance before they kill, but you…. You just do it. You do it without any thought at all. You are the one of us who has come out of their sweet little shell." I said, barely reframing myself from coming after her now. "Well anyway sister, I bid you farewell, I have some business to take care of with my master, Kuraisora." She said as she disappeared. I woke up.<em>  
>I sat up so fast I almost hit my head with Kasen sensei's. "Im sorry, I didn't see you there, sensei." I said. <em>So it was a dream? But it felt so real. No. it was real. I really did speak to Tenshi even if it was a dream.<em> "It's alright, Kushimo, you didn't even open your eyes yet. And I not surprised, Furra said you looked like you were having a bad dream so he came to get me, and as I thought, you had a fever, but it died down, probably from overworking yourself." Said sensei with a smile. "Yeah, and you kept me up almost all night, _and _I had to carry you when you passed out." Said an annoyed, half asleep Furra. I still felt angry for what my sister said last night. "Are you okay?" asked sensei. I was so deep in thought I didn't even realize that I had clentched both my fists into a tight ball. "Yeah." I said, using a smile to conceal the truth, but I guess it didn't work, because sensei looked at me with worried eyes. "Oh, and sensei, do you know anyone by the name of Kuraisora?" I asked. Sensei's face went pale. "Yes, I do," said sensei gravely. "He's a man with the ambition to have the power of a demon… and my brother." Continued sensei. _Well now it looks like I have no choice but to tell them the dream I had. _I told them. "So, I was right, you are Tenshi's younger sister. Your sister _was_ a kind and beautiful young girl." Said sensei. I couldn't help but remember the tears in her eyes as she left me for dead. "What I don't get is why your sister is working with him, because she has the blood of a demon as well, so wouldn't he have harvested it by now?" asked Furra. "No, her powers a nothing compared to mine. She's only stronger because she has harnessed them. And I think she's planning to double-cross him if I ever managed to fall into his hands, because as well as him, she wants the full power." I said. _I can't help but wonder if that's really the truth. But why? Why would she kill her family for my power?_ "I see what you mean." Said Furra. I could tell that even Furra was concerned, even as much as he didn't like me.  
>"Well, you two, we should probably send you to the next challenge." Said sensei. The real challenge is about to begin.<p> 


	4. Day one and back to hell

Alright, your challenge today, or I should say, this week, is to survive seven days in Higure, or the nightfall dimension. You have to work together." Said sensei. Furra and I looked at each other. "Do I really have to work with him/her again?" asked me and Furra in sync. "Of course, there is the option of giving up and not getting to train with me." Said sensei with a sarcastic tone. "Fine." Said me and Furra, once again in sync. "Get ready and bring only what you need. Oh, and I have something important to show you." Said sensei.  
>I went into one of the bathrooms and took a long, hot shower. When I got out I looked into the mirror. My hair had gone from black to a dark, purplish blue color, and my eyes had turned a brighter shade of red. <em>I can't believe those idiots didn't tell me.<em> I put on a black tank top, dark blue shorts, and then I put on a green sweatshirt, and then put my short hair into a ponytail. I got out of the bathroom about the same time Furra got out of his. Like me he was wearing a black tank top, and had tan shorts, as well as a red headband on his forehead. "Hey, Kushimo, do you know how to cook, because I don't." asked Furra. _Wow, looks like Mr. Smart-ass is asking for help. I'll help him, but then I'll make him owe me sometime. _"Yeah, I know how to cook. Anyway, what do you want?" I asked. "I don't know, eggs or something." said Furra. "Alright, it'll be done in five minutes." I said.  
>I cooked. I only knew how to cook because Rozu had taught me, since I lived alone for the past seven years, I had to learn to take care of myself, and amazingly, it paid off. "Here" I said as I handed Furra a plate of eggs. "Yeah, uh... thanks." Said Furra as his face turned red. <em>Is he… is he blushing?<em> "Um... is something wrong?" I asked. "Oh... uh... no. Im just not used to having a girl cook for me." Said Furra. "Yeah, well don't get used to it, I'm not doing this forever, so you should probably learn." I said. We ate in silence.  
>"Alright let's get going." Said Furra. "Yeah, but to where, sensei never said where to meet him." I said. "Good point. It probably one of the challenges. We need to try to use our shinteki to sense him out." Said Furra. <em>He sound pretty sure, and the plan made sense to me, so, why not?<em> "Alright. I think I can do it, the ability of sensing out a presence has always come easy to me." I said. Furra looked at me strangely. "Same here." He said. _Why do I have to share abilities with him?_ "Well, let's both try to sense him and see what we get." He said. I hope I can do it though, I've never tried more than about 20 feet." I said. "Yeah, same." Said Furra. I concentrated on sensei's presence. I stood for about half a minute until I felt a faint yet strong presence of sensei. "A mile away, due north." I said. "Yeah, that's what Im getting too." Said Furra.  
>We headed north. It didn't take us long to find him. "Im impressed you too. I knew Kushimo could sense life, but not you, Furra." Said sensei. "Yeah, I was surprised too." I said. "Alright, I would like you two to find the portal to…" I cut sensei off. "There." I said, pointing. "But how did you…" I cut him off once more. "It's easy, there's a distortion in the air, and it has a slight purple hue." I stated. "I know, but how did you know that's what it looks like?" asked Kasen sensei. "I didn't. I knew because, I mean, how many purple distortion in the air are you gonna find that aren't abnormal, or at least something different." I said. "Good point..." Said sensei, looking liked I had just crushed his dreams of something. "Well anyway," he continued. "Before you two enter, I'm going to show you how to summon your sword spirits." He said. <em>Sword spirits? Sounds interesting enough. <em>Sensei pulled his sword out of its sheath. He held it straight in front of him. I could sense that he was flowing his shinteki into it. What looked like a black orb came out of the end, then it quickly shaped into a panther. "This is my sword spirit Yoru no owari. Call him 'Runo'." Said sensei. "Master, are these your students? They show great promise." Said Runo. He had a very polite tone. "Yes Runo. The girl is Kushimo, and the boy is Furra." Stated sensei. I did a polite smile, whereas Furra rolled his eyes. He looked like he was trying to act cool or something. I laughed to myself a little bit. Runo looked me in the eye. He tensed. "Demon...!" He growled ferociously. I didn't do anything or react at all. I was used to it and I knew nothing was my best option. "Easy, Runo, it's tame." Said sensei. I got a little irritated, and Furra laughed. _It? Was he referring to me or the demon... Or both. _I regained my temper. "So, girl, you're tame?" Asked Runo suspiciously. "I may be mostly demon, but I have a name, so do to refer to me as _girl, _thank you. And yes, I am tame, I've never lost control of my power, but then again, I haven't had much reason too either." I stated calmly. "Intersting. Kushimo, are you aware of the fact that people will be hunting you down from the ends of earth, and that nobody will trust you easily? Are you willing to take the risk?" Asked Runo. "She strives for revenge.." Said sensei. "Shut. Your. Mouth." I said angrily. "I just want answers. Why me? Why my family? Why? I will only kill for revenge if what is deserved is not given by another. I'm sure I will get punishment for being demon, and for all I know, that has begun. The sorrow of my family's death is a heavy burden, so for me, depending on the way you think, it's either a gift or a weight." I said quietly. Runo backed down and sensei looked at me approvingly.  
>"Well you two, to get back on track, I'm going to teach you how to sumon your sword spirits. Kushimo, I'm sure you saw what I was doing. And Furra, how about you." Said sensei. We nodded. "Alright, try it." He said. Me and Furra unsheathed our swords and held them in front of us. I flowed my shinteki into it aswell as Furra. Slowly, a black orb began to emerge from both the tips of our swords. Furra's materialized very quickly. It looked likeMaster, I will give myself up to protect you. a coyote. My however, was taking much longer. <em>Is this good or bad? <em>The orb moved off the tip of my sword and materialized. It was a wolf. While Furra's coyote was dark and light brown with blue eyes, my wolf was black all over with a white circle over both eyes along with some white specks on the cheeks. Furra began to talk with his sword spirit, but I didn't listen, I was paying attention to my own. "Hello, master, my name is Seishin shoseki no koroi kiri, but call me Seki for short." Said the beautiful wolf. I was a bit surprised at the word master. "Uh.. Can you call me something other than master?" I asked. "How about princess, or mistress, or maybe dutches." She contemplated. "No. I don't want anything fancy." I said. "Well then, do you want me to call you by your name?" She asked. I nodded. "What is it?" She asked. "Kushimo." I said. "Very well then, Kushimo. I am your loyal sword spirit and you are my weilder. You have unlocked the power of the Hinotori clan." She said. I flinched at the thought. I remember the words my father had told me.

(7 years ago)

"Daddy, where are we going?" I asked as I skipped alongside his wide steps. "I'm going to show you something. It's been passed down our family for generations." He responded kindly. "Oooooh! What is it." I asked excitedly. My father pushed through a curtain of bushes. "A sword." He said simply. As we finished pushing through the bushes, we came to a shed. You'd think a shed thats 1/2 a mile into the woods would look pretty dumpy, right? Well not this one at least. It looked almost brand new. It was pretty small though. My father came up to the door and pulled out a key. He unlocked the door as the lock fell the the ground with an ear-ringing clink. We walked in. As new as it looked on the outside... Well, forget that. The inside was full of spider webs and the pungent scent of decaying oak wood. My father began to rummage through all of the useless junk. "Ah! Here it is!" My father exclaimed. He pulled out the sword. "Only your grandfather, Utagai, has been able to unlock the spirit within this sword, and you, as it's heir, and as you're my daughter, I have faith that you too will be able to gain a spirit worthy of you." He said. I had been so excited, thinking that being who I am in the family was going to make my life the happiest I could be, but I was dead wrong, as you already know.

(back to present time.)

"...Kushiiiiimoooo? Are you there." I began to realize that an unfamiliar voice was talking to me. I looked down to see the brown fur of Furra's coyote sword spirit. "Ugh. What do you want?!" I sighed. I can already tell that he is going to be annoying, especially because he's Furra's sword spirit. "Just wondering if your still here with us, Kushimo." responded sensei. "Yeah, I just remembered something, that's all." I said quietly. "Like what?" Asked sensei. "Oh... Uh, it's nothing. Something stupid, that's all." I spoke down to a whisper. "Oh, well anyway," Sensei began with a worried look toward me. "Why dont you two hop in the portal and get going." Sensei continued with a smirk. "Wait, we're just gonna go in? Just like that?" I asked. "What," Furra laughed. "Are you scared?" "No, idiot. It's just that I figured sensei would give us a heads-up on what we're dealing with here, but I guess he's just that much of an a-hole." I replied sarcastically. His smirk disappeared and we finaly got serious. "I'm not surprised that you would bring that up, Kushimo. Normally, I would, but this is a test. You have to do this all on your own. You could live or die depending on your actions. If you want to live, you must get along, work together, and think fast, otherwise, you'll be dead in minutes. There are passive creatures in there that will help you, and then there are the most cold blooded creatures in there that won't think twice before tearing your heads off. This is living hell." He said. Although I wasn't scared, I felt a chill run down my spine. _Could I actually die? I mean, I always thought I was brave and could do something like this, but now, I actually might die if I make even the littlest skrew-up. _I could see that Furra was a bit tense too. "Now you two, do you have everything you need?" Asked sensei. I double checked my bag. Food, water, clothing, wire, medicine, gaw bandaging, and a few other things. I had everything I need. Furra checked his too. He packed mostly the same things I did. "Yes" said Furra and I. We walked toward the portal. "Be carful you two, but no need to take your time." Said sensei as he pushed us in.  
>All I could feel was the sensation of falling. Out of impulse I screamed. I looked to my side to see that the sword spirits had returned to our swords and Furra was knocked unconcious. I looked down to see the the ground was quickly approaching us. At this rate, we'd hit it in about half a minute. I had to think fast. <em>Uh... Uh... Of course! My shinteki! If I can power up enough in the next 20 seconds, I can stop us from hitting the ground at a rate that could kill us. <em>I began to concentrate. 15 seconds. I began to gain power. 10 seconds. I started to sweat. 5 seconds. My heart skipped a beat. 4 seconds. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. 1. Everything went black.


End file.
